


A Night In

by keirajo



Series: The Love of Romance [2]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Awkward Romance, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 00:43:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16902867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keirajo/pseuds/keirajo
Summary: It seems things didn't quite go so well their first time together--can Megatron and Rodimus try again and make their potential relationship work?





	A Night In

**Author's Note:**

> A sequel to "A Day at the Space Mall": https://archiveofourown.org/works/16666291
> 
> Enjoy. :)

**_ A Night In _ **

 

 

            It had been made painfully aware to Megatron that Rodimus simply _wasn’t_ experienced enough for it _not to have hurt_.   **_A lot._**   Yes, the flame-colored mech had been eager to go about a “ _quick frag_ ” when they rushed back to the ship after the day at that mall…………..but after it was all said and done, his eagerness was _more_ for someone to be with him, rather than the actual act itself.

            He _wasn’t_ very vocal………….and Megatron actually _expected_ him to be so.   He held his voice in, barely whimpering—his pleas were in whispers and gasps full of static, rather than begging or demanding in a loud voice.

            And when they were done and had to get cleaned up before the mass return to the ship of all other crew and the resulting debriefing from Ultra Magnus………….Rodimus said he was “ _fine_ ” and just that “ _it had been awhile_ ”.   He wasn’t really admitting the fact that whatever lovers he’d actually had in the past had ever done anything more than “ _quick and dirty_ ”.   And the leaking EM field showed **_regret_** and **_shame_** , which the flame-colored mech had tried so desperately to hide once he realized it _was_ leaking out.   He’d kind of just………..ran from the room saying Magnus would kill them if they didn’t get to the debriefing.

            Which left Megatron standing there, towel in his hand, worried that…………..he really _shouldn’t_ have given in to the “ _quick frag_ ” after all.   He should have initiated something more proper, maybe not full-out courting……….but at least starting with talking and maybe some drinks—it should’ve gone _much_ slower than this.   But, clearly, Rodimus _never_ had anyone willing to take it slow and……………..maybe that was really the way the younger mech thought romances and flings should go— _in reality_.   Maybe that was why he liked watching the rom-coms so much?   Because it was a _fantasy_ he believed wasn’t actually true, but _wished_ could be.

            Megatron berated himself for taking the easy path and not taking the time to do it right.   So, _now_ ………it was time for him to do things right.   And that meant doing something much slower and to show a much truer interest in the flame-colored Autobot than a “ _quick frag_ ”.

            Because in the next couple weeks since then—Rodimus had _actually_ been avoiding him.  And he looked embarrassed any time he had to actually talk to Megatron, even if it was about work.   Ultra Magnus didn’t know what to think and called Megatron into the ready room as their shifts got ready to change with one another.

            “I’d like to think we’ve become _friends_ , Megatron—so, is there something I should know about, between you and Rodimus?”  Ultra Magnus asked, folding his arms across his chest like a frustrated parent.

            “It’s Rodimus—or rather, _our signals got misinterpreted_ and I’m trying to figure out how to fix it,” Megatron answered.   “I know you don’t like to hear personal details, so let me simply say—we felt a very strong attraction to one another and went to the berth _before_ going on a date.   And I think I made the mistake of believing he was _very experienced_ in the berth.”

            “Isn’t he?   I mean the way people brag about fragging him…………” Ultra Magnus trailed off, shaking his head.

            “He’s _not_ —have _you_ ever heard **_him_** brag?   Don’t you think that given his personality, he’d certainly do so?    I’m certain he’s _had lovers_ , but I don’t think he’s been to berth in quite some time with a person, to be honest.  Certainly since Drift’s exile,” the former warlord responded.   “I think………..he’s _never_ had a proper lover, either.”

            “Did you hurt him?   If you hurt him, **_I_** ………” the ship’s Second-in-Command began, arms unfolding from across his chest and his posture going very stiff and tense.

            “I didn’t hurt him………..at least not to the point he’d have to see a medic.   Look…….I _can_ go into details, but I know you don’t want me to,” Megatron said with an exasperated sigh.   “I don’t think he’s had a lover in a while and I think he felt some discomfort as we were trying to _indulge quickly and efficiently_.   But it’s the **_emotional_** part that’s hurt him the most……………he doesn’t believe that something between us could be permanent, or at least, durable.”

            “I………….see,” the red-white-blue mech murmured, his posture semi-relaxing once again.   “Do you think that can actually be resolved by talks and dates?   Because, the way Rodimus is—getting him to talk about his past, his feelings or anything he can’t instantly blow off as nonsense is like trying to make him get a routine checkup.   He _refuses adamantly_ and has refused to leave his room for days at a time to avoid doing it…………I’ve tried to force him to get routine checkups and he hates them.   Talking about real feelings is no different—even Drift told me it was difficult.   And out of anyone I’ve ever known, Rodimus opened up the most to Drift.”

            “It must go back to Nyon, all of it,” the former warlord murmured softly.   “You know………..he _did not_ always have flames on his chestplate.   He once wore the medical cross…………he did his best for the people of Nyon and he had to destroy it all in the end.   I’m fairly certain the flames he wore, that he now wears as a vague shape, on his chest………..were his _punishment_.”   Then Megatron paused, thoughtfully.   “Has he tried to re-forge his friendship with Drift?”

            “I think he tried, back on Censerre’s world, but…………….I think it changed when he found out that Drift and Ratchet were paired and bonded, he threw himself into the following combat as recklessly as ever,” Magnus answered, in a quiet voice.   “I should let you have the bridge.   I think we need to talk about things more, but I should try to do a little bit of investigation first—to make sure it really is in the state you believe it is.”

            Megatron incycled and exvented deeply before going out onto the bridge to work for his shift.

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

            “He’s in the training room, last I checked,” Hound responded as he and Ultra Magnus stepped out of the lift together.   “He……………kind of goes places _where people aren’t_ anymore.   To be alone or whatever.”

            _That_ was unusual.   _For Rodimus_.   But then………….after Getaway’s mutiny, though he said “ _everyone is forgiven_ ” with that silly grin of his—his comfort around all those who joined with Getaway spiraled pretty far downwards.   If he were with people, it was the group exiled with him via the mutiny………….not so much the mutineers anymore.

            The uncomfortableness with Drift, the uncomfortableness with the crew…………..the feeling like he’d be a bother to anyone working, like Velocity or Nautica or Ultra Magnus himself………….what _would_ Rodimus do anymore?

            Ultra Magnus looked into the training room via the observation window, so he could be certain he wouldn’t be met with a blaster in the face the moment he opened the door.    Rodimus was training hard with a holographic obstacle course—he must’ve been at it awhile now, because Magnus could see tremors in his joints when he’d land from a flip or transform to-and-from his alt mode.   He was intense and serious, just like he was before the battle on Censerre’s world…………….and worn down.

            Ultra Magnus sighed and decided to stop him before he hurt himself.   He opened the door and sent a command to end program.  The holographic environment shut down and showed blank grid walls.

            “Oh, Mags………… _sorry_ —were you trying to get my attention?”  Rodimus asked, exventing hard.   “There a problem?   Megatron’s on the bridge now if………..”

            “You’re tired and worn, _you need to go recharge heavily before you have your shift later_ ,” the Second-in-Command said, firmly.

            “ ** _Oh_**.  No, I’m fine—just training hard,” he answered, blowing it off in his normal fashion to avoid talking about things.

            “Megatron’s worried about you—and now that I see what you’ve been up to the past couple weeks, **_I_** am worried, as well,” the red-white-blue mech said, gazing down at Rodimus intensely.   “And why are you training like this?   Are you expecting the worst of all situations?”

            “ _Hunh_?   No, of course not………….. _but_ ……………it’s been kinda quiet since we came to this universe and I don’t have anything else to do.  I’m not good at quiet hobbies…………..like reading or writing or……..” he trailed off, softly.   The flame-colored mech’s optics turned downwards and away from Ultra Magnus.

            “Megatron says he’d be happy to occupy your time, but you’re _avoiding_ him,” the old soldier said in a clipped tone.

            Rodimus looked ready to make an epic retort, servo raised to punctuate his words………..but had nothing and his entire posture drooped into sadness and submission.   “I’m sure he’s just being nice and that I was honestly a fantastic disappointment to him,” he mumbled, softly, staring at the grid-lined floor.   “I saw the look on his face when we came off our interface-high………….I’m pretty used to seeing looks like that from people, so I know that I sucked and was a disappointment.   I’m _never_ an exciting treasure to anyone,” he added, turning away from his second, his whole frame in a dejected posture.

            “He was appalled at himself and worried that he hurt you—because you don’t seem to have as much experience as everyone claims you do,”  Ultra Magnus responded, wondering how he ever wound up in this situation, talking about this stuff with a mech he called his friend and a mech he felt like he was always babysitting.

            “Well, _yeah_ ……………but it doesn’t stop people from thinking I’m Primus’ great gift to all fraggers,” Rodimus said with a groan, wishing this topic would come to a screeching halt right now.  “I can seriously count the number I’ve been with on a single servo, Magnus………………….and none of them are on this damn ship.  Wait, no— ** _ONE_** is, _now_ ……………anyways.”

            “You’re _flirty_ , I suppose they’ve all assumed you’ve been with someone and someone clearly started rumours………….” Magnus said.   “But you _want_ to be in love.   You want something like Chromedome and Rewind, don’t you?”

            “But _no one_ wants me for **_that_** ,” the flame-colored mech whispered.   “I thought Drift………….he was so nice to me and so sweet, he actually listened to me and stuff.   And…………..now I wonder, _was_ he with Ratchet the whole time?   Because that means I’m not only stupid……………. _I am most epically moronic_.”    Then Rodimus leaned into the wall and banged his head on it gently.   “And if we were _only friends_ the whole time………….. _why_ didn’t he tell me about Ratchet and stuff, because…………..I could’ve been happy for him and…………..”

            “You’re _terrible_ at communicating, Rodimus……………that’s why you get into these messes.   And rather than talking, you run away and hide—which is what you’re doing with Megatron right now,” Ultra Magnus said with a deep sigh.  He reached over and pulled Rodimus away from the wall, so he’d stop banging his head against it.   “Come on—let me take you back to your room and make sure you get into recharge properly.   Just _think_ about it.   And _try_ to talk things over with Megatron, all right?”

            “Guess I _could try_ ,” Rodimus mumbled, letting Ultra Magnus walk him back to his hab suite.

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

            “I have a few topics to fill you in on—ready room?”  Megatron said to the flame-colored mech when he’d come to the bridge to take over for his shift.

            “Yeah, sure,” Rodimus responded, shrugging.  

            They walked to the captain’s office—the “ _ready room_ ”, directly off from the bridge—and sat down at the conference table.

            Megatron described the events of the past shift.   The communiques they’d received from local worlds within the system the ship was gliding through.   There were a couple requests for assistance, one they’d completed—the other was a delivery and they were en route.  Rodimus looked at the datapad, scrolling through it and nodding.

            “ _Heh_ ………… ** _you_** , willingly helping out fleshlings,” Rodimus chuckled, his tone teasing a little bit.

            “Well, I’d hate to spoil the helpful reputation of the _Lost Light_ and one of its many creeds,” Megatron laughed back.   “You should reach Goshuu in the next two hours, so the delivery will be made during your shift.   We already received payment, so don’t accept any payment from the Goshuuns.   They’ll be incredibly grateful, so just accept their thanks and not any payments.”

            “Is it a custom thing?”  Rodimus asked.

            “Yes, it’s a custom.   Goshuuns are very much………….people-pleasers.   That’s why the Jaquruns try hard to take care of them and protect them from abusive otherworlders.   They sent us the payment and gave us the goods to deliver—with the severe warning to not accept any payment at all from the Goshuuns,” Megatron explained.

            “Got it,” Rodimus responded, nodding.

            “Do you have any free time soon?   Would you like to go to movie night next week?”  Megatron asked, reaching over to brush gentle fingers on the back of Rodimus’ servo holding the datapad.

            Megatron felt the vibration of “ _want_ ” in Rodimus’ field and hoped…………

            “ _Nah_.   I’m good,” Rodimus answered, pretending to be flippant and giving a very fake and goofy grin.

            “We could always do something quiet, instead—what is it those Earthlings call it…………a _‘night in’_?”  Megatron asked, still trying to get Rodimus to relax and open up.   The flame-colored mech just shook his head, chuckling.  “Was I really _that bad_ in the berth?  I admit, much of my experience isn’t wholesome and proper, but if I _was_ ……..” the former Decepticon Leader trailed off.

            Rodimus looked up at him, wounded and desperate.  “You were _amazing_ —you were the nicest I’d ever had, but………….you _deserve_ more than me.   I _shouldn’t_ have reached for you…………I just…………you’re _trying_ to become better and I’d just hold you down,” the younger mech answered, softly.   “Trust me, this I know………….. ** _everything_** Hot Rod of Nyon touches burns to ashes,” he whispered.

            “We’re in a _new universe_ , Rodimus—Hot Rod of Nyon and all the sins you perceive of him……….they’re _gone_ , they _don’t exist here_.  Just as mine are, as well.   We may _feel the pain_ forever, but right here and now……..we have a chance to start over and live the lives we wanted.   I’d like us to do that **_together_** ,” the bulky grey mech said, reaching out his servos quickly and clasping Rodimus’ servos before the flame-colored mech could yank them away.  “Can’t we try?   I didn’t mean to hurt you—and you even said to me at the mall that you’d like to take our time before going straight to the berth………….but you were also so excited and it revved up things inside of me that I haven’t felt stir in a very long time.   I couldn’t seem to help myself—to keep my servos off of your beautiful frame.   I made a mistake by not doing it properly,” he added, squeezing Rodimus’ yellow servos tenderly.

            “But…………..the look on your faceplate afterwards………… _you_ ………..” Rodimus whispered, ducking his head and finding himself staring at the large ebon servos clasping his slender yellow ones.

            “I was horrified that I _hurt you_ ………..you were whimpering and your expression told me it hurt you to interface,” Megatron said, trying to hurry his explanation so that Rodimus couldn’t find an excuse to get up and run.

            “ _Oh_.   Well, it’d been awhile and……….. _sorry_ ,” the flame-colored mech murmured.  “Primus………..we’re **_both_** pretty dumb, I guess.   Mags is right—I _don’t_ communicate well, do I?   It’s just………….people push me aside and generally don’t want to listen to what I have to say, so I just don’t talk much anymore—not _to people_ anyways, more just **_at people_**.”

            “People _do_ listen to you—you’ve stopped listening to _yourself_ ,” Megatron said, pulling one of his ebon servos free and raising it to cup Rodimus’ chin, gently.   “Your words gave strength and courage to everyone when we made that final stand against the Functionists………….even people like Whirl and Ratchet.   Didn’t they give _you_ courage, too?”

            “But _not you_ ……….. ** _you couldn’t_** ………….” Rodimus trailed off.

            “It was the morality lock—I was still punishing myself and I _should not have been_.   I punished myself for being left behind in the Functionist universe………for over eight-hundred years, even though it _wasn’t_ my choice and Terminus tricked me— _I felt I had betrayed you_.   But when I watched you—your arm and half your side blasted off—demanding the matrix device in my servos………….you grabbed one side with your denta and the other with your remaining hand………….. _and you opened it_ ,” Megatron said.   “You were wounded and damaged and you were also a _glorious battlefield angel_ , all at that moment.   I chose to _stop punishing myself_ at that moment.   Now I want _you_ to stop punishing yourself.  We _can_ start over, **_together_**.”

            “You really think so?”  Rodimus asked, looking up into Megatron’s old red optics.

            “Yes,” the former Decepticon Leader responded.

            “ _Okay_.   Let’s……………do a night in.  A movie…………..and talk……………and maybe recharge together………. _no fragging_ …………..” the flame-colored mech murmured, a light pink tint flaring beneath his blue optics.   “Can **_I_** pick the movie?  It’ll probably have fleshlings in it………….and be a rom-com……..?”   He asked, hopefully.

            “I’d truly enjoy spending an evening with you, _doing things right_ …………and bonding the old-fashioned way.  I can even enjoy a rom-com with you,” Megatron responded with a light chuckle.

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

            “ _Heh_ …………sorry, my hab suite is still pretty dull and boring,” Rodimus chuckled, nervously, as he invited Megatron in.  “But I did requisition a nice couch that we can both sit on.”

            “Mine is _still_ a lot more boring than yours,” Megatron laughed warmly in return, leaning over to plant a gentle kiss on the top of Rodimus’ red helm.   He walked over to sit down on the couch, at the right-side end, and watched as Rodimus turned on the the viewscreen and swiped through menus on the screen to load the movie he wanted.

            “It’s a pretty old Earth one called _‘Splash’_ —it’s pretty weird and definitely dated, at the time it was a modern twist on one of their ancient faerie tales.  But………..the romance is sweet, really…………” Rodimus responded as he sat down about a foot away from Megatron, near the center of the couch.

            “ _Really_?” Megatron said, dryly, pointing out the vast gulf of space between them with a servo, while the opening credit stuff started on the movie.  “Come on, move closer so I can wrap my arm around you.”

            “You’re sure?   _Okay_ ,” Rodimus answered, pulling his legs up onto the couch so he could lean into Megatron’s side.   He relaxed as he felt the powerful arm go around his back and a large servo rested on his hip-plating.   The flame-colored mech relaxed and began snuggling closer………….placing his head on Megatron’s shoulder, a servo on his chest over the Autobot brand there…………and felt happy for the first time in a _very long time_.

            Megatron was glad when he felt Rodimus finally completely relax and just stare at the screen, absorbed in the movie and curled up happily at his side.   Every once in a while, he’d use the servo around Rodimus to lightly stroke the hip…………the low backstrut…………and used his cheekplating to rub lightly against Rodimus’ helm.   _This_ was the way it should be—comfortable and relaxing.

            After the movie was over, Rodimus was so content and happy, he _refused_ to move and put another movie in or turn the viewscreen off.   It had an auto-shutoff in twenty minutes of no use, but still……..!

            “I _love_ that movie……………even if it’s old and dated,” Rodimus murmured.

            “It had its cute moments,” Megatron chuckled, swiping gentle fingers along Rodimus’ backstrut in a comforting gesture.   “But it was more entertaining to me to _watch you_ watching it.”

            “You are _such a weirdo_.   I don’t wanna move, I like it _right here_ ………….” the flame-colored mech moaned, snuggling happily.  “I could like it.   You _spoiling_ me like this.”

            “I have to keep finding new and inventive ways to spoil you, so that you’ll want to stay with me and won’t find me boring after a time,” the bulkier grey mech laughed softly.

            “ _Pfft_ ,” Rodimus giggled.   “But, it’s true…………I _really like_ things like this.   Maybe that’s why the death of Nyon and the people hurt me so much.   We all…………….we all huddled together for warmth and companionship, because we had nothing else anymore, just each other……………and after losing all that, I found I missed it a lot.   _Nothing was ever the same_.  Until Drift………he was so kind to me and I _really_ ………….” he trailed off, a bit sadly.   “I wish I’d have known…………..’bout him and Ratchet………..” the flame-colored mech whispered, turning his head, so that he buried his faceplate in the grey mech’s neck-fairing.

            Megatron raised his servo from Rodimus’ back and planted it gently on the smaller mech’s helm, rubbing gently with comfort.

            “Hey, so……………..who’s _your_ regret?”  Rodimus asked, pulling his head up to look into Megatron’s optics.

            “ _So many_.   Starscream—things went badly between us, when it _shouldn’t_ have,” the older mech sighed, his servo going back to Rodimus’ backstrut and caressing gently.   “From the Functionist Universe………..probably Orion Pax.   I think I wanted him and to be with him _because_ ……………Optimus was one of my greatest desires I **_never had_**.”

            “ _Seriously?_   ‘Cause I know there’s a massive betting pool that’s been going on for millions of years saying you two have _always_ been frag-buddies!”  Rodimus giggled, grinning up at Megatron.

            “ _Unfulfilled passion_ , I’m afraid,” Megatron chuckled, softly.   “It doesn’t mean I haven’t _fantasized_ about him while fragging others,” he added, a devious smirk on his faceplate.   “But………..Starscream _really is_ possibly my greatest regret.   My alteration by the mnemosurgery and Shockwave’s tinkering with my systems………….I really did the worst I could’ve ever done to a single person— _all to Starscream_.   He has every single reason to despise me and wish for my death a thousand times over.”

            “I kinda hope he and Windblade wind up together,” Rodimus murmured.

            “I’d like that, too.   She is spirited and passionate…………while he has the experience and knowledge—those two, _together_ , would possibly be the best thing Cybertron could ever have,” Megatron agreed.  “ _By the way_ …………….I have something to show you,” he said, softly.  He held up his arm around Rodimus so he could pull something with his other servo from the subspace pocket by his wrist.   He pulled out a battered and worn golden piece of metal and held it up for Rodimus to look at.  
            “You’re kidding me…………… _this’s_ ………..!” Rodimus gasped, reaching out a servo to brush the dented and discolored broken edge of a Rodimus Star.   “You are one gloriously devious aft, you know that?”  He laughed, staring at it fondly.

            “It was my link back to all of you— _all I had left_.  It reminded me of what I’d could have had………and lost,” Megatron murmured.  “You have no idea how many times I held this up to the sky and wished I were with all of you………..even as decades and centuries passed.”

            “I know it seemed silly, but it was _meant_ to be a reward of a sort—you know, like a good mark on your service record and all.   I couldn’t think of much in the way of rewards and _money_ would’ve been……………just a mess waiting to happen,” Rodimus said, wrapping both of his arms around Megatron’s massive chest and pressing his faceplate deep into the neck-fairing.   “The design was kind of a joke, really…………I think it started with a weird bet with Swerve.   But after I started giving them out, I found it _fun_ to do it, you know?   Keep things fun and positive!”

            “But seriously………….. _for giving up my evil ways_?”  Megatron laughed.

            “ _Yep_ —and it worked, because…………….. _you just laughed_.   And **_that’s_** what I wanted,” the flame-colored mech giggled, hugging Megatron tight.  “People to laugh and have a good time.  Just sucked we ran into so much dangerous crap along the way……………”

            “If Prowl knew…………..he really _would’ve_ had this ship taken from you.   You talked up _a quest_ , not a road trip for fun,” the older mech responded, lowering his servo again to rub Rodimus’ backstrut some more.   “But…………..it was _good_ that you did.   Dangerous as some of those things may have been……………you stopped a lot of really devastating things from happening to our race and all of that.”

            “ _Awww_ , thanks big guy,”  Rodimus said, warmly.  “Are you really gonna stay and recharge with me tonight?”   He asked, his voice going soft.

            “Are you planning to kick me out?”  Megatron asked, a teasing tone to his voice.

            “ _Only_ if you talk in your sleep,” Rodimus teased back, reaching up to nuzzle Megatron’s chin.

            “I suppose I should pack up and go then……………” the older mech said with a mock sigh.   Then he chuckled and leaned down to brush his lips over Rodimus’.   “Let’s get some rest—it’ll be nice to have a warm body to recharge next to.”

            “It’ll be perfectly toasty under the blankets next to _my hot frame_ ,” Rodimus laughed as they both got up from the couch and walked over to the berth.

            It was pretty large, but odds were…………….Rodimus recently acquired it to invite a certain someone over for recharge together on some occasions.   Megatron laid down first and held the blanket up so Rodimus could slide in against him.  Rodimus hugged and snuggled against Megatron’s bulkier frame……………..and the former warlord couldn’t help but be charmed.   The flame-colored mech clearly _loved to have company_ —someone he could trust and be clingy with.   It made Megatron feel so much more protective of Rodimus.

            He wrapped his large arms around the smaller frame, they said “ _sleep well_ ” to one another and slipped into recharge together.

**Author's Note:**

> "Splash" is like the first romantic comedy I'd ever seen. YES, I KNOW, I AM SO OLD. XD


End file.
